So Your Boss is “Old School”?
From time to time I overhear twenty- and thirty-somethings casting aspersions on their boss by referring to that person as “old school. I think this is code for “my boss is a hard-nosed ogre who is intolerant, inflexible, and resistant to change.
I have coached a number of these old school managers and while I agree that what’s missing from the managerial skillfulness of this group is more tolerance, flexibility, and openness to change, I do see a number of strengths that add value to the workplace.
First, they tend to be results driven. If there are results to be achieved then they will deliver on what is expected.
Second, these old school ogres learned that credibility and trust are hard to earn so they make a habit of doing what they said they would do. As one member of this group once said to me, “a deal’s a deal. They show up, they hang in there, they return phone calls, and they are reliable and dependable
Third, they have clear standards of performance for themselves and for those who work for them. Some may object that these standards are too tough; however, they tend to enforce them fairly, and most times you will know where you stand. And when they say “well done there may not be a lot of fanfare in how they say it, but they mean it.
Finally, most of this group typically have a short fuse with those who offer lame excuses, or worse yet, out and out lie when an assignment due date comes and goes.
So there are some desirable aspects of being old school.